The Marshall family has taken on a project. We are fostering a baby kitten. It all started one quiet night when I received texted photos of a helpless little kitten. The poor animal had been left by its mother and one of our parishioners was caring for it. Unfortunately, the other animals in her household didn’t accept the little kitten. Either someone needed to care for it or it was going to the shelter.

The kitten looks like a baby version of our much-beloved cat, Pancake; and, we’re suckers, so, we took the kitten in. None of us have ever raised a kitten who was four weeks old. She/he (it’s hard to tell at this age) is completely dependent upon Ethan and Christi. She needs milk fed from a dropper. She can’t clean herself or even go to the bathroom on her own without some encouragement. Now, a week later, she’s starting to eat wet food out of a dish and is well on her way to be cat box trained. Although she usually sleeps through the night, she wakes Ethan up around 6:30 every morning.

This little kitten lives for the moment. She walks right off the side of the couch and loves to see what tight fit she can get into – under a chair, between a bookcase, under books. Once she is stuck she will emit a very loud “meeuuuww,” until she is rescued. This animal has no idea where her next meal is coming from, what would happen if she fell off the couch, or whether we will return home when we leave. Yet, she has the same bright optimism for life. She keeps doing what kittens do – meowing, eating, sleeping, playing and being just as cute as cute can be. This cat lives in the present without any fear of the future or remorse from the past.

I wonder if this is how we look to God. Or maybe, this is the life that Jesus calls us to – complete dependence upon God. Jesus calls us to live in the moment. He also tells us to have no fear and to not dwell on the past. There have been times in my life when, like this kitten, I walk unknowingly toward the end of the couch. Yet, God always steps in to redirect me. I’d like to think the food I eat is a result of my work and the ability to purchase it. Yet, I am reminded that all of it – my work, finances, food – belongs to, and is a blessing from, God. Likewise, our church has no rainy day fund. We have no reserve. We live month to month on the blessings that everyone provides through their faithful giving.

At the beginning of this Reflection, I said we are fostering the cat. The plan was to get it strong enough for someone else to adopt. Plus, we have two cats – Oscar the dominant one and Pancake the ambivalent one. Despite his title, Pancake is interested in the kitten and will occasionally clean it. Oscar, however, has yet to meet the cute ball of fur. He smells it, hears it, but as of yet, has not been whisker to whisker. It’s a long process. Luckily, Oscar seems to be living in the moment too and doesn’t seem to have any fear of the future, nor any remorse of the past. Nevertheless, feel free to place your bets on whether the Marshall household will be back down to two cats or whether we will have three. After all, we do our best and know that it’s all up to God.

In last Sunday’s sermon, I pointed out that Saint Paul gave the new church leader, Timothy, some advice. It was to pray. And first to pray for kings and all in high places. (1 Tim 2:2) Why in the world would Paul tell Timothy to pray for those responsible for persecuting the Church and who would eventually snuff out both their lives? Perhaps it is because Jesus instructs us to, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mt 5:44) And in his letter to the church in Rome, Paul wrote, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (12:14) One day I hope to get the opportunity to ask Jesus and Paul why they told us to do this. In the meantime, I can tell you how to pray for your enemies.

There are three parts to every formal prayer in our Prayer Book. The first part names God and what God does. The second part is to ask. The third is to close the prayer in Jesus’ name.

Part one. If you wanted to ask your mother for cookies, you probably wouldn’t just yell from the living room, “Get me some cookies!” Instead, a wise child seeks her out and says, “Mother dear, who makes the best cookies in the world…” Likewise, we get God’s attention by using one of God’s many names/titles and what God does. When praying for one’s enemies, a suitable opening might be, “Almighty God, who calls on your faithful people to bless and pray, even for our enemies…”

Part two – the ask. Continuing with cookies, “Mother dear, who makes the best cookies in the world, I’d like a cookie, please, because cookies make me happy…” In the prayer for our enemies, the ask could be, “You sent your Son to bring those who are near and those who are far off, well, this guy at work must be one of the ‘far off’ because he constantly undermines me, takes credit for things he didn’t do, and blames me for his mistakes. I am so sick of him I want to quit, but you told me to be faithful and trust in you. So, please do something about this because I can’t; in fact, I’d rather key his car.”

Part three – in the name of Jesus. He told us to ask for whatever we need in his name. Thus, in your prayer for your enemy, it would end “… I’d rather key his car, but I ask that you bless him and turn him from his bad ways, in the name of Jesus my Lord.”

In all sincerity, I had been praying for the conversion of Osama Bin Laden’s heart. I wanted him to have a Paul-like conversion and for him to then tell his followers that he was following Jesus and would walk in the path of peace and contrition for the rest of his life. I recently prayed for the guy who set the bombs in New York and New Jersey – for justice, for peace, and for him to become a living example of repentance. I can also tell you in all sincerity that these prayers actually brought me peace and stillness. You see, when we turn our enemies over to Jesus, we know that vengeance is his, that he, and only he, has the power to change hearts, and that his mercy is wide, his understanding is deep, and his grace is really and truly for everyone.

I preached a sermon several weeks ago about body image and how God sees us. Since then, the sermon has been quoted back to me by many people. At their request, I'm writing about it so it can be shared with a larger audience.

Psalm 139 uses poetic imagery to show how we were knit together in the womb. The psalmist declares to God, "I praise you because I am remarkably and wonderfully made; your works are magnificent, I know that full well." (vs 14) I think it is God's hope and expectation that each of us praise God because we know that God's works are magnificent and that we are wonderfully made.

There is a problem, an entire multi-media industry is at war with the psalmist's declaration. As a father of two girls and the chaplain of a school, I can tell you from experience that magazines, television, and movies are trying to convince our girls that there is one beautiful body type. And, if you don't have that body type, you are not beautiful. Also, if you are not actively working towards becoming that type, you are lazy and prone to an early death that you most certainly deserve.

It's not just girls that are caught up in this. Boys are inundated with negative self-images as well. I was shocked at the action hero plastic toy Elijah held in his hand at the store. It was Superman and reminded me of the action figure I had when I was six. Forty years later, however, it is clear that Superman has been to the gym and has been taking substances that would get him banned from professional sports. His biceps and pectoral muscles are extraordinarily gigantic and so are his legs. His waist has shrunk and his unnatural stomach is what they call "cut." What does this image say to our boys about being super?

The Chinese used to wrap the feet of girls to keep them smaller. I'd like to think that we've moved beyond that but in reality, we probably have not. Instead, we wrap our minds to feel guilty about how we look in the mirror. Many cage themselves in with unrealistic expectations and unhealthy dietary habits. But, that is not what God has in mind for us. Jesus wants us to be free. We are beautifully made. Each body is different and magnificent because God made us that way.

There are more than 2,700 different types of earthworms. Earthworms! If God loves diversity that much in worms, would he have in mind only one body type that is beautiful? Some people can eat what they want and never gain weight, others not so much. Yet, God never ever considers one better, or more beautiful, than the other. We are all precious in the sight of the Lord.

I am reminded of a breast cancer survivor who, at the advice of her doctor, forced herself to stand unclothed in front of a mirror every day and tell herself that she is beautifully and wonderfully made. This action freed her up for unhealthy expectations of the perfect body. She was able to go back to work and to have a social life again.

You are God's work. God makes things beautiful and wonderful. You are made in God's image which is unique and diverse just to you. You are wonderfully made.

​It’s time to settle a long-standing question. What does it mean when we say, “We believe in one holy catholic apostolic church.” Specifically, why does the word “catholic” appear in the Nicene Creed and why is it said in an Episcopal church?

The short answer is this – “catholic” doesn’t mean what you probably think it means.

The catechism or teaching of the church (page 854 in the Book of Common Prayer) asks, Why is the Church described as catholic? The answer: “The Church is catholic, because it proclaims the whole Faith to all people, to the end of time.” As much as I appreciate and love the catechism, this is not a full-enough answer for me.

The Nicene Creed was written in Greek. The Greek word translated into English as “catholic” is καθολικὴν. It is not found in the Greek New Testament (I checked, ugh). The word has two meanings, general or universal. In English, the non-military sense of word “general” is found only once in the New Testament. It is in the Letter to the Hebrews talking about the “general gathering” of people. Universal in not found in any English Bible that I could find. Suffice it to say that catholic is a post-Biblical word and concept.

Before I go on, I should say that others would disagree with me and assert that catholic is a Biblical word. They claim the source is Acts 9:31. There are two Greek words that if combined can make it sound like cath-holic. Nevertheless, every single reputable English translation does not combine the two words but rather keeps them separate so the text reads, “Meanwhile, the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samara had peace and was built up.” This author believes is it more than a stretch to say that “throughout” is synonymous with “general” or “universal.”

So why is it in the Nicene Creed and why do we “believe it” every Sunday? What are we believing in anyway?

Let’s assume the New Testament was completed by the year 80. The early Church was a movement mighty in power but quite small in relative size. Even with Peter baptizing thousands in one day it was still, percentage wise, tiny when compared with the Roman Empire. However, by the time the Nicene Creed was written around 325, the movement had grown into what we would recognize as a capital “c” Church. It stretched across the entire empire and even into the emperor’s own household. It was now the “general” Church or “universal” Church; the catholic Church. The problem is there was a reason why the creed had to be written. The universal Church didn’t agree on basic tenets of the faith. The creed was an attempt to bring the general Church together. Thus, by using catholic/general/universal as a belief, it was in a sense saying, “We’re orthodox believers.”

The split of the general Church into East and West in 1054 also changed the linguistic approach to self-define our separate self-governing body of believers. The eastern Christians referred to themselves as orthodox and the western Christians took the name Catholic. And we in the Episcopal Church are somewhere in the middle. Nearly 1,000 years later, the labels still exist. Yet, these are only labels. The truth is the general Church still believes in one God who created all things, seen and unseen. We are still united in our belief that Jesus, born of Mary, is the Son of God. He died, rose, ascended and will return again. We believe in the Lord, the Holy Spirit who is the giver of life and who is worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son. And, we believe the one general/universal/catholic/orthodox Church is holy.

Despite the grandiose language of the Nicene Creed, I believe we are still a movement. It’s a large, universal movement of people following Jesus with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. This movement is baptizing thousands per week in China and India. The Jesus Movement is still transforming souls in this world for God’s coming Kingdom. I think this is something we can all stand for and profess our belief in.